


A Kiss From The Sea

by Lestrade_DI



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Hand Jobs, M/M, Merman Sherlock, Nudity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2017-05-03
Packaged: 2018-07-18 13:59:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7318042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lestrade_DI/pseuds/Lestrade_DI
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John starts his new job as a dolphin caretaker. But he finds something, well someone, who is way more interesting then the dolphins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Beautiful Creature

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to say that this is not beta'd. I was too inpatient :p So if there are some mistakes, I'm sorry! I hope you still enjoy it~

"This is where we clean and prepare the fish" Greg says, as he shows John the room. John just got his new job as a dolphin caretaker and is currently being shown around by his old classmate and friend, Greg Lestrade.

He always had a big interest in underwater life. Especially dolphins, killer whales and sharks. So when Greg told him they had a job available, John didn't hesitate. He had send out his CV, got called in for a talk and got the job. And now he was here. Swimsuit on as walks around while Greg was showing him the basics.

"And here we got the dolphins.” Greg blows on a small whistle and three dolphins pop their heads above the surface one after one other.

Greg points at them one by one. "This is Echo, Delta and Sonar. The other dolphins are currently outside.”, He says. John nods and kneels down next to the dolphins. He slowly reaches out to pet them. Greg puts down a bucket with some fish next to him and John grabs one, holds it in front of Delta who opens her mouth. He lets it slide in her mouth and she gulps it down immediately. Greg feeds the other two and John gets up again.

"Can't wait to get to know them better." He smiles and his eye fall on a door in the corner of the room. It has a big 'STAY OUT' sign on it.

"What is in there?" He points at the door and Greg follows his gaze.

"To be honest mate, I have no idea. When I came here they told me not to go in there."

"Aren't you curious?" John asks.

Greg shrugs. "A bit yea, but not enough to put my job at risk.”

"I guess yea..." John says, still holding his eyes fixed on the door.

#### ~~~

A couple weeks went by and John's relationship with the dolphins became better with the day. But every time he walks past the door he can't help but look at it. Wondering what is behind it.

Eventually it is Saturday evening. The park was closing and everyone was making themselves ready to go home. John is making the last preparations for tomorrow when Greg pops his head around the corner.

"Is there anything I can do?" He asks and John shakes his head. "I'm good mate, you can head home." Greg smiles and waves John goodbye.

John finishes his task and washes his hands. He walks through the main room towards the exit and his eye fall on the door once again. John stops in his tracks. He stares at the door for a while before he looks around. Everyone is already heading home. He is all alone.

He hesitates and then makes his way over to the door. He slowly reaches out for the handle and pulls it down. Locked. Of course it’s locked. John walks back to the food room and grabs a knife before heading back to the door. He looks around again and once he was sure he is the only one here, he places the knife between the door and frame. He wiggles it around a bit until he eventually hears a soft 'click'. He slowly opens the door, slips inside and closes it behind him.

When he turns to face the room he gasps. There is a gigantic water reservoir standing in the middle of the room. The room is completely dark except for the lights that are shinning in the tank. There is a gigantic stone in the middle of the reservoir with a hole in it. John can't see anything in the hole, it is pitch black. Anything can be inside it.

John walks up to the reservoir and looks inside. Aside from the stone there are just some water plants. He walks to the side where there is a steel staircase placed against the side. He slowly climbs all the way up and looks in the water. John thought he saw something moving and leans forward a bit more. His face is almost touching the water until suddenly something big swims from the stone towards him. The creature stops right in front of John’s face and John almost falls down the ladder.

The creature grabs him by his uniform and drags him in. John manages to take a deep breath before they went underwater. He closes his eyes and he can feel two strong hands, at least they feel life hands, push him down until his back hits the bottom. He waits for something to cut him, slice him, bite him, hurt him.

However nothing happened.

He opens his eyes and above him is a man. Well not really a man. The creature has the appearance of a pale man with black wavy hair and piercing ice blue eyes. But he has big fin-like ears and deep gills in his neck. John has to stop himself from gasping because this creature is gorgeous.

He puts his chin against his chest and looks the creature over. It's chest is as pale as his face and a pair of fins are sticking out the side of his torso. Around the navel his skin starts to change in a fish tail full of dark blue scales. John slowly looks back up and a bit of air escapes from his mouth. Just when that happens be realizes he is almost out of air. John starts to panic and tries to escape from the creatures touch, but it doesn't let go of him. Instead, he opens his mouth, revealing two long, sharp fangs, and he blows some bubbles in John's direction. John is confused, but opens his mouth anyway, catching the bit air that is blown his way. The air tastes fresh, almost minty.

Now it is the creature’s time to look John over. He does it a bit quicker. He looks down and back up and seemed to already know all the information he needs to know. He grabs John by the arms and pulls him back up. His tail swings powerfully in the water.

Once they reach the surface John coughs. The creature grabs John's wrists and pins him against the side of the reservoir, his tail wraps tightly around John's legs. John looks it in the eyes again.

"You're going to help me." The creature suddenly speaks in a deep, smooth voice. John is a bit surprised that it can speak. He sees it is waiting for a response but John can't think of a single thing to say and the creature continues.

"I need your help to get out of here.”

Apparently John progresses everything a little too slow for the creature because he can feel the pressure around his legs and wrists increase. The tip of the sharp nails dig into the flesh of John's wrist and he can swear he feels blood drip out.

He gulps slowly. "H-help with what?”

"Getting me out of here.”

"Why would I do that?" John asks, his voice controlled. His hearth is beating fast and he is pretty sure the creature can hear it as well. He sucks in a deep breath, trying to calm himself even more.

"Because otherwise I will kill you right now." Just after he says that the nails dug into John's wrists even more and he hisses from the pain. The tail starts to get tighter around John's legs as well. Cutting of the blood to his legs.

"Fine, fine!" John says quickly when his feet start to tingle. "I'll help you!" The pressure around his legs lessens and his blood starts to stream again.

"What do you want me to do...?" John slowly moves his feet. Stimulating the blood circulation. The creature looks around the room as if someone could be in here with them, then he looks back at John. The nails slowly slid out of his wrists and the water around them turns faint red.

“The manager’s office. He got something I need.”

"What is it?”

"An amulet. Silk necklace with a bright blue stone attached to it. Get it and come back.”

The creature drags John to the ladder and pushes him out of the water. John hisses when his head hits the iron railing and he gets up, rubbing the back of his head. When he looks down into the reservoir he can see the end of a tail disappear in the dark hole of the big rock.

John leans on his hands to get up, but stops the moment he feels a burning pain in his wrists. The blood falls down on the iron platform and it starts to mix with the water. John sighs and gets up, looking into the water once more before walking down the stairs and out of the room. He makes sure the door was locked and walks over to the changing room. He lets the water from the shower run over him. The burning feeling in his wrists became stings and John looks at them until they stop bleeding. He takes off his suit and lets the water run on his face. He isn’t sure how long he is standing there, but he doesn't care. The warm water is nice and it clears his mind.


	2. The Amulet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well again no beta. Sorry :,)

When John arrives at work the next day Greg immediately walks up to him.

"John! What did you

do last night?!" John's heart starts to beat faster. Does Greg know? But how? He locked the door and left no traces at all about what happened that night. Or did he? Shit! Did he forgot anything? John’s head starts spinning while his thoughts fly through his head.

John gulps. “I made the preparations, showered and went home…” He says carefully, not sure how Greg will respond if he knows he is lying. Greg pulls up an eyebrow.

“Did you really now?” He asks and John nods and asks “Why…?”

Greg sighs. “You forgot to put the fish in the fridge man. It has all gone bad now.”

John looks at him surprised. Trying to think back about what exactly he did yesterday. He remembers cutting and cleaning the fish. He remembers putting them in the right bucket and cleaning up.

“O-oh, I think you’re right…?” John slowly says. He did indeed have forgotten to put the fish in the fridge.

“Of course I’m right. I just had to throw away five kilo of fish!” Greg responds and shakes his head.

John bites his bottom lip. “Shit I’m sorry man. I guess I wasn’t really there with my mind.”

He wants to grab John’s arm but then noticed the bandages around his wrist. He grabs his hand instead, pulling it up to take a better look. He then looks worried at John. “John…” He starts and John looks down at his wrist and then quickly looks back up. “Oh no it’s not what you think! I had a small accident while cleaning out my storage closet. It’s nothing to serious, but I thought I should wrap it up anyway before it gets infected.” John gives him an assuring smile and Greg looks at him before smiling back.

“I see. Well I’m glad it’s nothing serious.”

“Sorry to worry you.” John says and Greg shakes his head.

“It’s okay mate. However we have to prepare the fish now. Just one more hour until feeding time.” He walks to the feeding room and John follows him.

They finish the fish together and the day went by normal. It appears that Greg does not know what John had done the night before. And it’s best if he doesn’t know.

Since it is a Sunday there are no shows. The park is closed and there are just a few people around to take care of the animals. When the evening falls and John and Greg had prepare the fish for the next day together (and put it in the fridge this time) and they are making themselves ready to go home.

“I can’t wait to get home.” Greg says with a sigh while he puts on his shoes. “I’m going to order Chinese and just stay on the couch all evening.” He looks up at John, who is grabbing his stuff from his locker. “Hey why don’t you join me? You got no where to be right?”

John swings his backpack over his shoulder. “Actually I have to go to the manager. Discuss some things you know. Do you happen to know if he’s still in?”

Greg seems to think about that for a while. “Not sure… He is in on Sundays, but it can be that he has already gone home.”

“Well I’ll take a look then.” John says with a smile. “How about Chinese another time?”  
Greg smiles back at him. “I’ll keep you on that one!”

John says goodbye and makes his way towards the manager’s office. He hopes the man is not in. He walks more slowly then usually, looking around at the animals that were peacefully swimming around. Every now and then he passes one of the caretakers. Every time someone says something to him or calls his name Johns throat tightens. He tries to act as calm as possible, saying everyone goodbye with a smile. however, he can’t shake the feeling that he looks guilty.

He arrives at the building where the manager’s office is placed. The whole building is dark except for the hallway where the janitor is cleaning. John walks in and makes a lame excuse that he forgot something in here. It doesn’t even seem like the janitor cared and he just continues working. John makes his way through the dark hallways and when he arrives at the manager’s office he finds it locked, of course.

He grabs a knife that he has taken from the kitchen and performs the same trick as he did with the door yesterday. 

He sighs in relief when he hears the ‘click’ sound of the lock unlocking and he opens the door, getting in and closing it behind him. He looks around the room and noticed one camera in the back left corner. The camera hasn’t seen him yet so he carefully walks up to it and pulls out one of the cables. The little light turns off and John makes his way to the desk. He carefully looks through the drawings, making sure he doesn’t move too many things. He finds nothing that fit the description the creature has given him. He sighs and turns around. There is a big open closet standing right behind the desk. Then, in the right corner of his eye, he sees something. There is a faint blue light coming from behind one of the photo frames.

John carefully shifts the frame and there it is! A beautiful sea blue stone that slightly glows. It is attached to a silk black necklace. John grabs it, stuffing it deep into his jacket pocket. He then places the photo frame back in place, plugs the cable back in the camera and carefully leaves the office, locking the door behind him.

#### ~~~

He waits until everyone is gone and slips back into the room with the creature. He looks into the reservoir, but sees nothing. It is in the rock. He carefully walks up the stairs, keeping his eyes on the big, hollow rock. When he gets all the way to the top he is surprised that nothing happens. He kneels on the edge, splashing the water around a bit.

It takes a couple of minutes but he finally sees movement. He quickly gets back, leaning against the railing and as far away from the water as he can. It isn't like the last time. The creature doesn’t come up to him with full speed. Instead, he lazily swims up to John, popping his head out of the water and leans on the edge. They stare at one other for a while. The creature looks tired, as if it just woke up.

John then remembers why he was here and grabs the necklace from his pocket, letting it dangle before him. The creature’s eyes become bigger and he rises from the water. However John is quicker and he stands up, getting the necklace out of reach for him.

“Not yet.” John says. “What is this necklace? What does it do?” The creature growls softly before speaking. “It’s none of your business.” It glares at John.

“Okay, then how do I know you won’t kill me after I give you this.” John asks, not taking his eyes off from the creature who starts to sigh.

“What do you want me to do? Give you my word?”

“Yes.”

It strokes back his hair and looks up at John. There is a short silence before he speaks: “Okay, i promise i won’t hurt you. Now give me the damn necklace.” John can hear the irritation in it’s voice. He throws the necklace in the middle of the reservoir and while the creature elegantly turned and swims towards the sinking jewelry John makes his way down the stairs. He can see the creature grabbing the necklace, putting it on before he says something John can’t hear. There is a bright blue light and John has to close his eyes. When he opens them again the creature is no longer there. Well it is there but it is no longer a creature. It is a man. With feet, legs and-

John looks away quickly, a faint blush spreads across his cheeks. The man swims towards the stairs, climbs out of the water and walks down, towards John. John looks at him, trying to focus on his face. The man looks back at him for a while, mumbles something that sounds like ‘thanks’ and walks towards the door. John quickly runs past him, blocking the door.

“You can’t just walk out like that!” The man raises an eyebrow and John continues. “There are still people here. We have to wait or we need to come up with something else.” John takes off his jacket and hands it over to the guy. “But first, could you put this on please.” John looks away as the man takes the jacket and puts it on. It doesn’t cover much, but John has picked a jacket that is a couple sizes bigger, just to make it more comfortable, and it covers just enough. When the guy was done John looks back at him, feeling a bit more comfortable now.

“Okay, first things first. Do you have a name? Something I can call you?”

The man seems irritated by all of this but answered anyway. “Sherlock.”

John nods. “Okay, Sherlock, you can call me John. And just for your information, I don’t care if you want to get out of here. Heck I even understand if you want to.” He looks around the room that has nothing in it except for the reservoir. “However, I rather not get in trouble helping you out okay. So it’s better if you wait here. I will get you some work clothes so it’ll look less suspicious when you are walking around here. Then we’ll see what we do okay.”

Without waiting for a response John slips out of the room, locking the door behind him so Sherlock can’t get out. This guy seems to be stubborn so John plays it save around him. Well as save as this situation can get at least.  
He walks over to the changing room. They always keep some spare clothes for interns or if someone forget theirs. He guesses Sherlock size and walks back with the clothes. When he gets back, picking a lock for the third time in two days (god he felt like a criminal), he sees his jacket lying on the ground underneath the stairs. He slowly walks up to the reservoir and sees Sherlock in the water. Lying on his back and just floating around. John walks up the stairs and Sherlock opens his eyes and turns his head towards him.

“You were taking forever.” He simply says and turned himself around, swimming towards John. He leans on edge and it looks very familiar to John. “I thought I might dry up.”

John sit down in front of Sherlock, placing the clothes next to him. The man looks a lot less dangerous in this form. He doesn’t have long, sharp nails, sharp fangs or a tail that can snap John in two. Still, John is careful around him. He doesn’t know anything about this man so he doesn’t know what he’s capable of. But John wants to get to know him better.

“Can you really though?” John asks and the Sherlock tucked his head to the side.

“Can I what?”

“Dry up?”

Sherlock lets out a chuckle and John can feel his cheek warm up again. Why are his cheeks getting warm? Yes the man was gorgeous, but he can also be very dangerous. John can be risking his life here talking to the guy. Also, he is not gay. John has never been with a man and he isn't planning to be. 

“If I stay out of the water for too long it can weaken me.” Sherlock says. “I can stay out of the water for about 48 hours max if I have my necklace on.”

John looks down at the necklace that is hanging around the man’s neck. It is shinning even brighter then before. Could that be because of the water? Or maybe because Sherlock is wearing it. John starts to wonder that if he wears the necklace he can transform like that. Maybe he can get a tail like that and breath underwater. 

“It doesn’t work like that.” Sherlock randomly says. And John looks up.

“Excuse me?”

“You can’t just wear the necklace and transform. It doesn’t work like that.”

John is surprised. “How did you-“

Sherlock rolls his eyes. “You were staring at the necklace and obviously thinking. Before you were really fascinated by the transformation. You have also shown a lot of interest in me, well in my race at least. And it’s a question a lot of people ask so it wasn’t that hard.” 

“Amazing!” John says and Sherlock looks surprised. “You got all that from just looking at me?” 

Sherlock shifts a bit. “I don’t look. I observe. I take all the prove I can find and I make conclusions. When I have eliminated the impossible, whatever remain, however improbable must be the truth.”

John can’t help but smile. “That’s just fantastic.” 

Sherlock stares at John. As if looking if he is lying. As if he does not believe him. Then he suddenly gets out of the water. John crawls back to not get wet and before he knows it the man is standing in front of him. John looks up, but then quickly turns his head away, a blush starting to appear again. He grabs the towel from underneath the clothes and reaches it up. Sherlock takes it and starts to dry himself. Then he puts the towel on the railing and gets dressed. John does his best not to look, but he catches himself glancing a couple of times. One time Sherlock sees him and John quickly says sorry. Sherlock finishes getting dressed and kneels down.

“Why do you keep looking away? Does my body disgust you or something?” John turns his head back at him quickly and noticed Sherlock was close. Really close. Their faces are mere inches away from one other and Sherlock eyes flash every direction, as if studying John’s reaction. John crawls back a bit more and finds his back hitting the railing. 

“Well no! You’re actually really gorgeous!” Shit why does he say that! “It’s just, privacy you know.” Sherlock looks at him in silence and John starts to feel uncomfortable. “No I don’t know.” Sherlock then responds. “People never looked away from me. They just kept looking, no matter which form I’m in.” 

“W-what…?” John asks. What kind of people did Sherlock meet…? Every person with at least a bit of decency would look the other way.

“I have met people before. The people who had captured and sold me, the clients who came by to look and touch. None of them looked away from me.”

John can feel his throat tighten. Sold, look, touch, clients. John shivers at the thought of what Sherlock can have been been through. It sounds like an illegal human, no.. animal? trade. He said they touched him… How did they touch him? Did he resist, was he uncomfortable? John shakes his head. Some people are bloody disgusting. Sherlock stands up, reaching a hand down to John. 

“Don’t think about it too much. It has happened and now I’m almost free.” He gives a small smile. Just a twitch of the corner of his mouth. John takes his hand and gets up.

“But still, it’s wrong, illegal and just straight out disgusting.” John says and Sherlock just simply waves it off, walking down the stairs.

“I don’t get why you get so upset about it. It’s not like it was you in there.” He says calmly as he walks towards the door. John follows him, picking up his jacket on the way and he puts it on. Sherlock opens the door, peeking around before he walks through it.

“That’s not the point.” John says. “Just the idea on its own. I already get shivers down my spine when I think about it.” He locks the door behind them and walks next to Sherlock towards the exit.

“Then don’t think about it.” Sherlock responds simply. John sighs and just walks in silence. They are careful, making sure no one sees Sherlock. John even pushed Sherlock in the closet when two trainers walked by (Sherlock wasn’t so pleased with that). When they finally got out of the park John sighs in relief. 

“Where is your car?” Sherlock asks, looking around the parking lot where just a few cars are standing.

John scratches the back of his head. “I don’t have one. I use public transport.” Sherlock gives him an ‘are you fucking serious’ look and groans. Then he walks away.

“Uhm Sherlock, the station is this way.” John says, pointing the opposite direction. 

“I’m leaving. I’m out, that’s all I needed you for.” He says, not turning around or stopping. “So I don’t need you anymore.”

John can’t believe it. He just walks off like this. No 'thank you', nothing. But he doesn’t want him to go. He wants to spend more time with Sherlock. He likes him. He likes talking to him because he was so bloody interesting and smart. He can teach John things. Things about his kind, about the ocean, about the creatures that live there. John clenches his fist.

“Where are you planning to go to now?” He asks, loud enough for Sherlock to hear. Sherlock turns around. “I don’t care. Just away from here. Everything is better then here.” John shakes his head. 

“How are you planning to get anywhere. You don’t have any money, no ID, nothing! It’s not like you can just walk to the sea. It’s miles away from here.”

Sherlock is quiet. It is clear he hadn’t thought much about what he would do after he got out. “You can stay with me if you want.” John then says and Sherlock looks towards him. “I don’t have much, but it’ll do. I got a bathtub and running water you can use.” Sherlock clearly hesitates then eventually walks back towards John.

“Why would you help me even more?” He asks when he was standing in front of him again. John puts on a smile. “I like you.” He simply says. Sherlock pulls up and eyebrow while John starts walking towards the station, Sherlock follows him on the foot.


	3. A New Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay i tried the 'reading out loud' someone in the comment suggested and changed some things. I hope it's a bit better now :3

The way home was quiet. None of them said a word. It had started to rain and while everyone, including John, stepped underneath the shelter, Sherlock just kept standing there. Facing upwards with his eyes closed, letting the rain fall on his face. People were starring and looking weird at him. John wanted to drag him underneath the shelter as well but he stopped himself when he saw a soft smile on Sherlock’s face. Instead John joined him. He shook the uneasy feeling of what people would think of him off himself and went to stand next to Sherlock.

When the bus arrived Sherlock just walked in without even looking at the bus driver, who got pissed and started yelling at Sherlock that he needed to buy a ticket. John apologized on Sherlock behalf and paid for a ticket for Sherlock. He followed the guy who went to sit almost at the back of the bus. Sherlock just stared out of the window the whole ride home. John glanced at him from time to time and he noticed the man wasn’t just daydreaming like most people. He was actually paying attention to the streets. Like he was memorizing them. 

They arrive at the bus stop near John’s house and got off the bus. It was still raining but Sherlock didn’t seem to mind. They walked towards John’s house in a normal pace. When they walked through the door their clothes were soaked. John tells Sherlock to take his clothes off in the hallway while he grabs them both some blankets. 

He made his way to the bathroom, getting out of his own wet clothes and putting on a bathrobe before walking back to Sherlock with a spare bathrobe and towel. He stops for a second when he saw the man was naked, again. This has been the third time he sees Sherlock naked. He pulls himself together and hands him the robe and towel. While Sherlock dries himself John makes them some tea. He didn’t even knew if Sherlock drank tea. He just makes it out of habit.

Sherlock has made his way towards the living room (leaving his wet clothes exactly where he dumped them. So John could clean them up later) and was looking around. He was searching through the bookcase when John walked back in.

“See anything you like?” John asks as he put down the cups of hot tea. 

Sherlock didn’t take his eyes off the books. “You got quite a collection here.” He says as he picks up one of the older books.

“I Inherited most of them from my grandma. She loved reading.” John sits down, grabbing his cup of tea and he wraps his hands around it. The rain had cooled him down a bit too much and he starts to shiver. He looks over to Sherlock, who was looking through the book now. He had tied the bathrobe loosely around himself. Causing it to slide off his shoulder at one side.

John was wondering if he was cold? Or perhaps he was cold blooded like most sea creatures. His touch didn’t felt that cold when he had dragged him into the water. But that could’ve been because the water was rather warm. Sherlock sits down on the chair across from John and was reading the book. John leans a bit to the side to read the cover. ‘Mystical Creatures’ John read and he giggles. Sherlock looks up from the book, but quickly continues reading again.

It is quiet. But not awkwardly quiet. No John likes it. He just looks over at Sherlock, who didn't seem to have a problem with people looking at him, and he thinks. He thinks about where Sherlock might have lived before, if he had friends or family, what he did in his free time. Did he stayed a merman (I guess that’s how you call it) all the time or did he switch from time to time? Are there a lot like him? Or maybe he is the only one of kind. Does he eat fish? Or maybe plants. At the thought of food John’s stomach starts to rumble. He puts down his tea and gets up.

“I’m going to make some dinner. Do you, uhm… What do you eat?” He asks and Sherlock looks up from the book.

“Do you got fish?”

John bites the inside of his cheek. His fridge was mostly filled with leftovers, milk and beer. His cabinets aren't actually filled with useful things either. Just some spices, tea and some canned food of which John isn't certain if it is still good.

“Uhm i can order take away with some fish in it?” He says and Sherlock thinks about it before he nods and goes back to the book. John grabs his laptop and starts typing in the website for the Thai a couple of blocks away. 

After he was done, he went to check his mail when Sherlock suddenly moves. John looks up and he could see Sherlock stare at his laptop. 

“Is anything the matter?” John asks and Sherlock gets up from his chair, dropping the book on the table.

“Is that a computer?” He asks, pointing at John’s laptop. John nods and Sherlock holds out his hands. “May I?” John hesitates, but then logs out his mail and hands it to Sherlock who sits down with the computer on his lap. He starts clicking and typing on it, going faster with the minute. 

“Have you ever used a computer?” John asks and Sherlock shakes his head. 

“I’ve seen people use them and heard about what they could do. But I never got my hands on one.” His eyes dart over the blue screen as if he was reading something. John gets up from his chair and walks up behind Sherlock. He leans on the back of the chair while looking at the screen over Sherlock’s shoulder. Sherlock was opening various programs and then closing them again.

“Try Chrome.” John simply says and Sherlock searches around the desktop until he clicks on the icon of Chrome. A window pops up with, in big bright colors, the word ‘Google’ is displayed. 

“I guessed you were looking for the internet?” John asks and Sherlock nods as he starts typing. He simply types in ‘Merman’. A lot of sites about fictional and mythical creatures pop up and some pictures of drawings with, what people that were, merman. Sherlock just shakes his head and types ‘London’ behind it. Some fake articles now appear about people who thought they have seen mermaids in the Thames. Sherlock clicks on some of the articles and read them quickly. Even before John was halfway Sherlock already clicks them away. It went on like this for a while until the doorbell rings.

John walks over to the door to open it. A young man was holding up a bag with a couple of white boxes in it. He was about to speak when he notices John was in his bathrobe. John realizes what is going on and he puts the robe around him tighter, giving the guy and awkward smile.

The boy holds up the bag. “Uhm… Your order sir. That will be 18.95 then.” John takes the bag, placing it on the cabinet.

“I’ll go grab my wallet, wait a second.” He says and walks over to the bathroom where he had left his bag. While he was looking for his wallet the boy sees Sherlock sitting on the chair, bathrobe half open so it was clear he was wearing nothing underneath it. Sherlock looks up, right at the boy who quickly looks away. John then comes back with his wallet and gives the boy 20. 

“Keep the change.” He says with a smile. The boy thanks him and quickly walks away. John grabs some plates and cutlery from the kitchen and brings it back to the living room together with the food. Sherlock was still staring at the laptop. When he still didn’t respond after John had put everything down, he grabs the laptop from Sherlock and puts it on the other table. Sherlock protest but then noticed the food on the table and he went quiet.

John makes them both a plate and they eat in silence. To John’s surprise Sherlock doesn't only eat the fried shrimps and tuna, but the rice as well. 

When they were finished John cleans up and Sherlock went back to the laptop. John took a shower and then grabs a spare blanket and pillow, placing them on the sofa. He also places an old shirt and some new pants on top of the blanket.

“I’m heading to bed. I got you some stuff here.” He said and Sherlock just hums in agreement while he keeps reading whatever was on the screen. John sighs and heads to bed. It doesn't take long for him to fall asleep, but something woke him up later that nigh, when most of London was sleeping. John can feel a presence in his room. One that wasn’t there when he went to sleep. He slowly opens his eyes and lets them get used to the dark room. He can see no one so he slowly turns around, pretending he is doing it in his sleep. 

“JESUS CHRI-“ He almost screams as he gets up. Sherlock was lying next to him, just mere inches away from John. The other man opens his eyes as well and leans on his shoulder.

“Why are you yelling…? It’s the middle of the night.” Sherlock says in a sleepy voice.

“What are you doing in my bed?!” John pulls the blanket over his lower half. He was wearing pants, but still.

Sherlock lets himself fall back down. “The sofa was uncomfortable and you got plenty of room here.”

“So you just thought you could crawl in bed with me?!” Johns voice came out louder then he intended to.

Sherlock just turns around, pulling the blanket almost over his head. “What is the problem, it’s not like I’m going to kill or rape you or something. I just want to sleep.” John wants to say something back, but he can’t. He doesn't know what to say. He stares at the back of Sherlock’s head and slowly lies back down again. He softly mumbles ‘Sorry’ but Sherlock did not react. It takes John a while to fall asleep again, but when he did, he fell in a deep sleep. An endless black void.

####  ~~~

He wakes up by the sound of his phone that was buzzing on his nightstand. He picks up and answers in a sore voice.

“John speakin-”

He hasn’t even finished that last word before Greg starts talking. “John! where are you? Are you okay?”

John looks at the time. 10:30. Shit he overslept! He got up, feeling his head getting dizzy and he had to sit back down again. His head then starts to hurt like crazy. He takes a deep breath before responding to Greg.

“Yea, I’m sick. Sorry I wanted to call in this morning but I overslept.”

“Oh I see. Well I’ll put you on sick, you should get back to sleep. It’s not good to be sick for long this early in your new job. I have to get back to work. I’ll see you around!” With that Greg hangs up. John lets himself fall on his back, groaning. When he looks to his left he notices Sherlock was not there. John gets up again, slowly this time, and he stumbles out of the bedroom. When he walks through the hallway he could hear a sound coming from the bathroom. He knocks once before slowly opening the door. He freezes in the doorway when he sees Sherlock sitting in the full bathtub, tail hanging over the edge and his laptop on the laundry basket next to him while he was typing.

John pinches the bridge of his nose. “Sherlock, What are you doing…?” 

Sherlock looks up at John. “Taking a bath, what else?”

John walks over to him and closes his laptop, taking it away even though Sherlock was protesting. “You don’t use my laptop in the bathroom. If it gets into contact with water it will not only break, but you can get yourself hurt as well.” He puts the laptop under his arm and walks out of the room, leaving Sherlock to sulk in the bathroom.

John makes himself a cup of tea and grabs some aspirins. This must have happened because of the rain yesterday. He takes the aspirins with some water and walks to the living room, sitting down in his chair. He groans as he rubs his hand over his head. This headache was awful. He can feel it pound through his whole head. He sighs and grabs his tea. He should just take it easy today. 

Just when he takes a sip Sherlock walks in, completely nude. Water dripping all over the floor. John almost spits out his tea and looks the other way. “Sherlock! Clothes!” The man doesn’t respond and walked over to John.

“John, do you have any medical supplies?” John turned his head back to him. “What happened?” He asks worried and Sherlock holds up his left hand. There was a cut in the palm of his hand and blood was streaming down his arm. John jumps up, despite his head protesting in every single way possible, and he grabs Sherlock’s hand. Taking a closer look. 

“Jeez, what did you do?” He inspects the wound before dragging Sherlock to the kitchen and grabs the first aid kit.

“I wanted to get out of the bath when I cut myself on a sharp edge. I think you should fix that.” Sherlock says calmly. John grabs the right supplies and shakes his head. “Shit yea, i forgot to warn you about that sorry.” He lets the water run and pulls Sherlock’s hand underneath it. He doesn’t seem to respond at all. John then carefully dries it and grabs a bottle of antibiotics and puts a bit on a rag.

“This could sting a bit.” John says while applying the rag on the wound. Sherlock doesn’t respond. His expression stays the same, looking at how John treats his wound. John was surprised. He has never saw anyone not having a reaction on this. Most people tried to pull away or at least say something about it. John puts aside the rag and wraps bandages around Sherlock’s hand. 

“This should do it.” He then says. “Try to not get it wet.” Sherlock simply nods and walks away, towards John’s bedroom. John makes him a cup of tea. Just when he was about to go to the bedroom Sherlock comes out of it. Wearing John’s clothes. John looks surprised, but doesn’t comment on it and gives Sherlock the cup. John’s clothes were a bit too small for Sherlock, however he doesn’t seem to care. He takes the cup with a soft thanks and walks past John to the living room. John follows him and leans against the door frame. 

“We should get you some clothes. Mine don’t exactly fit you.” He looks at Sherlock who pulls up his legs and his ankles became visible. John stares at them for a bit too long and when he looks back up Sherlock was looking at him. John licks his lips without even realizing.

Suddenly Sherlock gets up, placing the cup on the table and walks up to John. Standing really close. John wants to take a step back, but for some reason couldn’t. He looks up to meet Sherlock’s eyes (he actually has to look up. This man was too damn tall.). Sherlock stares back at him before he finally speaks. 

“You keep looking at me like this.” 

John pulls up an eyebrow. “Like what?”

Sherlock looks him up and down. “Like the people on the sale. Like they want something from me. Like they want me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you want me?” Sherlock asks and John scoffs. Want him? What kind of question was that? Of course the man is attractive, John must give him that. But John is not gay. There is no way John can enjoy touching this man. Sliding his hands over his pale body, feeling every inch of it. Neither can he enjoy kissing him. His own lips against Sherlock’s perfectly formed lips. Sliding his tongue in the man’s mouth and explore the inside of his mo-

“Fuck…” John says out loud and Sherlock looks at him surprised.

“That’s a bit straightforward but-“

“Don’t! finish that sentence!” John says as he sighs. “Look Sherlock. I think you’re attractive, I can’t deny that. But I never had feelings for another man and I never will as far as I’m concerned.”

“As far as you’re concerned? So it might change?” Sherlock asks.

“Well yes. It might. But-“ John gets interrupted by Sherlock who leans down to kiss him on the lips. John freezes. Not reacting at the men’s lips touching his own. Sherlock leans in further, pressing his lips against John's harder and he opens his mouth. His tongue licks John’s bottom lip. John opens his mouth without thinking and Sherlock deepens the kiss quickly, exploring John’s mouth and sliding past his tongue. John has closed his eyes and reaches out to grab Sherlock’s shirt, pulling him closer. John can feel him grin in the kiss and he pushes him away. 

“W-what are you doing…?” John pants slightly. He doesn’t let go of Sherlock yet, just puts some distance between them.

Sherlock is still grinning. “Changing something~” 

John shakes his head. “Fucking hell…” He whispers as he pulls Sherlock down again, crashing their mouths together in a sloppy kiss.


	4. Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long... Life's a bit shitty right now and I lost a big part of my writing because of a computer error. I'm trying to get back to it but it's a bit hard now. Hope you guys understand :)

John wakes up. His head is pounding even more than before. He groans, placing his arm over his eyes to block off the light. He rolls to his side, back towards the window and opens his eyes. Next to him lays Sherlock, sleeping. John smiles. But his smile soon disappears when he noticed Sherlock is wearing nothing. The duvet pulled over his waist, but the rest of his skin is visible. Just then John noticed he is also wearing nothing. He gets out of bed, his head protests, and he grabs the most nearby pants he can find and puts it on. 

He tries to recall what happened last night. He remembers Sherlock cutting his hand, John treating it, Sherlock kissed him and then-

“Oh god…” John whispers as he stares at the man on his bed. He quickly looks around, on his night stand, around the bed and eventually in his trash can. When he sees the ripped condom package he sighs in relief. John looks up when he hears Sherlock shift in the bed. Two ice blue eyes are starring lazily at him and John feels a warm feeling in his stomach when Sherlock softly pads on the empty spot next to him. John craws back into the bed, pulling the cover over both of them. 

“What did you do to me?” John whispers as Sherlock starts to smile.

“I might have changed something~” Sherlock answers in the same soft voice. “Do you regret it?” Sherlock’s smile disappears. 

John slowly shakes his head. “I don’t know.”

Sherlock grabs him by hip, pulling him closer against him. “Why don’t you just think about it for a while~?” He whispers in John’s ear before wrapping his arm around him and nestling his head above Johns. John closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath and all he can smell was Sherlock. And a faint scent of fish. John chuckles, puts his arm around Sherlock’s waist and falls asleep again.

#### ~~~

The next day John has to go back to work. Halfway through his day someone walks up to him, saying the manager wants to see him. John swallows and makes his way towards the office. When he arrives there he gives a soft knock before entering. 

The man behind the desk looks up. John starts to feel uneasy. Not just because the man might know what he did, but the man in general gave John the creeps.

The man is quite tall and a bit chubby. He has ginger hair that is neatly combed back and a pair of eyes that seem like they know every little detail about you the moment they looked at you. Every time the man looks at John he can feel a shiver running down his spine. He doesn't like to be in his presence. Not at all.

“You wanted to see me Mr. Holmes?” John asks and the man nods, gesturing at the chair on the other side of the desk.

“Please sit down.”

John did. It feels as if there is a stone in his stomach and a cloud in his brain. The man puts away some paperwork and leans back in his chair. He looks at him with a serious expression and John doesn’t know what to say or do.

“You were working last Sunday evening, am I right.” The man starts and John nods. He had a feeling where this may lead to. Sunday was the day he had stolen the necklace and got Sherlock out.

“Well something has been stolen.” The man continues. “Something really valuable to me. Did you happen to see anything?”

Valuable? Is he talking about the necklace or Sherlock…? John looks at the man. He must be the one who has bought Sherlock. Who has put him in that room. Who has taken the necklace from him so he couldn’t get out. What does he want with him anyway? Does he want to just look at him? Own him? Or is he going to sell him? Or maybe he would use him. For his own pleasure. 

John feels himself getting sick at that last thought. He quickly thinks back about the question the man has asked him. Just so he doesn’t have to think about any of that.

“Uhm yes sir. I was working then. But I’ve seen nothing out of the ordinary.” John answers, trying to keep his voice as normal as he can.

“I see.” The man says and he sighs.

“If I may ask sir, what has been stolen?” John has to know. He has to know if it was the amulet or Sherlock.

The man looks at him for a while before shifting in his seat. “It’s an jewellery. One that has been passed on through the family.”

John feels relieved. So this was about the necklace. Or does he not yet noticed Sherlock was gone? He must have right? 

“I see sir. I’m sorry to hear that it has been stolen, but i know nothing about it.” 

The man stares at him for a second too long before thanking John and telling him he could go. John gets up, wishes the man a good day and got out. He went to the first toilet he could find and locks the door. He leans against the wall, taking some deep breaths before grabbing his phone. He has given Sherlock an old phone he had lying around somewhere and taught him the basics. He quickly sends him a text.

‘Don’t open the door for anyone. Just stay inside and be quiet.’ He types and sends it. A couple of seconds later his phone starts vibrating and a reply pops up. 

‘Don’t worry about me. -SH’

John sighs and gets out of the toilet, making his way back to work.

#### ~~~

When John gets home he throws his bag on the ground next to his coat and shoes. He doesn’t see Sherlock in the living room so he walks to the bathroom. He finds Sherlock once again in the bathtub (His water bill will be so high…) with his eyes closed. John softly closes the door behind him and Sherlock opens his eyes, looking at him.

“Hey…” John says, walking up to Sherlock and he sits on the stool he had placed there.

Sherlock pulls himself up, leaning on the edge. The water splashes a bit. He looks at John. “What’s the matter? Did something hap-“ He suddenly stops, his mouth making a small O. “You have spoken with him, haven't you? The manager.” Sherlock asks and John nods.

“Did you tell him anything?” Sherlock asks and John looks up surprised. 

“Of course not! There must be a good reason for you to want to get out of there. So I won’t do or say anything that might get you back in.” 

Sherlock gives a small smile and leans forward, pressing his lips against Johns. John doesn’t move. He just closes his eyes and lets Sherlock do whatever he wants. He was tired and just wants to sleep. He eventually finds himself kissing back. Sherlock is wet from the water and water drops from his hair fall on John’s face. Sherlock starts to slide his hands under Johns shirt, stroking over John’s side and eventually letting his finger slide over one of his nipples. John softly moans. Sherlock grabs John’s shirt, pulling it over his head and tosses it aside before pulling John towards the bath.

“Come and join me~” He whispers in John’s ear and softly nibbles on his earlobe. 

John pulls back. “Sherlock I’m sorry. A lot has happened today and I’m really tired.” Sherlock keeps tugging at his arm. “I know, but the water is nice and warm. You’ll like it~” He says and something in his voice pulls John over the edge. He starts taking of his trousers and pants. “Fine but you gotta change. My bathtub is not that big.”

John closes his eyes when the bright blue light fills the room. When he opens them again the long tail was replaced for two long, pale legs. John steps in the bathtub, wanting to face Sherlock. However Sherlock doesn’t seem to agree with that and turns John around, pulling him down between his legs. He wraps his arms around John’s middle, letting him rest against his chest. John was a bit uncomfortable at first but he soon starts to relax.

Sherlock slowly strokes up and down John’s torso. His head rests on John’s shoulder as he whispers, “You smell like fish.” John groans. “I know, it’s bloody disgusting. No offence.”

Sherlock squeezes him a bit tighter. “Non taken. It smells delicious.” He licks the crook of John’s neck before softly biting in it. John gasps and closes his eyes. He can feel Sherlock bite just hard enough that his teeth won’t penetrate his skin, but enough to leave a mark. Then Sherlock starts to suck on a spot right above the bite mark. John can’t help but let out a moan. Sherlock’s hand starts to slide down towards John’s prick that is getting harder. Before John can say or do anything Sherlock had wrapped his long fingers around him. He softly squeezes before starting to stroke John in a slow but steady rhythm. John's breathing became faster and he bit his lip to keep in another moan.

“It’s okay,” Sherlock murmurs. “Let me hear you~”. John shakes his head. Sherlock’s other hand made way up to John’s chin and he turns his head to the side. “Come one~ I love to hear your voice." John was looking at Sherlock with hazy eyes. Sherlock kisses him, his tongue invading John’s mouth. Meanwhile he starts to take up the pace, causing John to moan in the kiss. Sherlock breaks away with a grin when he sees that a flush starts to appear on John’s face. He starts pumping harder and then the orgasm hits John. He jerks up his hips and semen is spilled over Sherlock’s hand and his own belly. Sherlock washes it off as John was trying to steady his breath. When John’s breathing was back to normal they both get out of the bath. They dry themselves and make their way towards John’s bedroom. John didn’t had dinner, but he doesn’t care. He was tired and just wants to sleep. And that’s what he did. He lets himself fall on the bed. He rolled on his side as Sherlock pulls the duvet over them both. John quickly falls in a deep sleep as Sherlock watches him for a while before falling asleep as well.


	5. Going home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Holy shit it took me quite a while to upload a new chapter on this story... I'm sorry for that! but I lost a big part of it long ago and never had the energy to write it again. But now I found it! So updates might be a bit slow since I'm also busy with some other things but it's good to be back on this one!

The next few days went by quiet. They went out to buy some clothes for Sherlock, John just went to work everyday while Sherlock stays at home. Sherlock has asked if John could bring him too the sea but John has told him it was a long ride, so they had to wait till he had a day free. Sherlock has complained but it soon turns into sulking on the couch with John’s laptop balanced on his knees.

John thinks about their relationship. They kiss, they sleep together and they have (quite incredible) sex. But Sherlock has never confesses his love towards John. He has never told him he loves him. John hasn’t either but that was because he is still confused (Maybe Sherlock is confused as well). He doen’t dislike being with Sherlock like this, but he has never been in a relationship with a man before. He had always convinced himself and others that he was not gay, that he would never sleep with another man. But now he isn’t so sure about that. He has googled some things and found out that there were a lot of other sexualities then straight and gay. Of course he knew there was more, but he has never really cared to look it up. He thinks he can maybe be Bi- or Pansexual. He quickly closes the tabs when Sherlock walks in. The man sits in the chair across from him, grabbing a book from the pile that was laying next to the chair and starts reading. He looks bored, John thinks.

John clears his throat and Sherlock looks up. “I got a two days off next weekend.” He says and Sherlock puts down the book. “We could go to the sea if you like.”

Sherlock blinks a couple of times. “That would be great yea.” They look at one other for a while before John nods. “It’s settled then.” He get up. “I’ll go take a shower.” He can hear Sherlock getting up as he walks to the bathroom so he quickly adds. “Alone.” Sherlock sits back down with a sigh as John walks out of the room with a smile on his face.

#### ~~~

It is finally weekend. John and Sherlock get up early and take the bus to the station. From there they take the train to the seaside of England. They will be in the train for a while and John slowly starts to doze off. Sherlock is just looking out of the window at everything that was flashing by when John starts to lean against him. He doesn’t move and lets John do as he likes, not bothered by the mans weight.

When Sherlock notices the stop on which John told them to get off was next he wakes John up. John has to take a minute to realize where he is and the train stops. They both get off and Sherlock follows John towards the sea. They haven't talked for the whole journey. It is raining when they arrive at the beach, the wind is cold and icy so John puts his hands deep in his pockets. They are the only ones here and he turns to look at Sherlock.

John is surprised when he sees Sherlock is taking off his clothes. “What the bloody hell are you doing?!” John says loudly but Sherlock ignores him. “You’re going to catch a cold like this!” Sherlock just continues and when he was just wearing his pants he walks towards the sea. John stands there for a while, looking surprised, before walking after him. Just when Sherlocks feet touch the water John grabs him by the wrist. Sherlock turns around and notices John was looking scared.

“Where are you going…?” John asks. His voice is soft but just hard enough for Sherlock to hear. He can see Sherlock’s eyes switch from left to right as he is looking at John.

“I’m going home.” Sherlock says eventually. John’s hold around his wrist became tighter. “Are you coming back?” John asks and he lets out a shaky breath. Sherlock grabs his hand, releasing his own wrist. “I don’t know.” Sherlock lets go of John’s hand and walks in the water. John just keeps standing there, starring at Sherlock as he disappears more and more into the dark blue water.

“I don’t want you to go…” John whispers and just when he says that Sherlock dives in the water. A faint light is visible and then nothing. John keeps standing there, starring at the water for what seems like an eternity. He then walks back a bit, picks up Sherlock's clothes and he sits down on a rock. He holds the clothes close to his body while keeping his eyes fixed on the sea.


	6. Returning

It is getting darker and John’s stomach starts to rumble. But he does not move. He stays on the stone, looking at the sea. The rain has stopped but a strong wind is blowing now. Cooling John’s body temperature. John shivers but again he did not move. He stays on the same spot, waiting for Sherlock. It is dark now. His phone rings but he doesn’t pick up because he simply does not care who is calling him.

He is cold, hungry and his eyes are getting heavy when all of a sudden something came out of the sea. It is a man. John jumps up, his body stiff from sitting in the same position for hours, and takes a few steps forward. When he could recognize the pale skin and black curls he runs up to him. Sherlock stumbles out of the sea, head low and slightly shivering. John stops in front of him and Sherlock looks up.

“You came back.” John says with a smile, but his smile disappears when he sees the look in Sherlocks eyes. Something is wrong. John steps closer to Sherlock and puts his coat around him before cupping his face.

“What happened…?” He asks and Sherlock just stares at him before softly mumbling. “They’re gone. Everyone is gone.”John pulls him along, out of the freezing cold water.

“What do you mean?” John asks.

“Everyone. They’re gone.” Sherlock voice is low and soft. John puts an arm around him, pulling the man closer. John can feel him shivering more then himself and he gives Sherlock the rest of his clothes so he can get dressed. Sherlock puts on the clothes very slowly and John just watches him getting dressed. When Sherlock is done he grabs the man’s hands.

“I’m sorry Sherlock. I’m so sorry this had to happen to you.” John pulls him in for a hug. “You can always stay with me if you want.” He whispers and Sherlock hugs him back. Then John takes his hand and starts walking. He walks into a hotel that is nearby the beach and up to the reception. Some people are looking weird at them since Sherlock is still soaking wet and it starts to leak through his clothes. John gets them a room for two and a coin for the washing machine. He brings Sherlock upstairs, takes off his clothes and puts him in bath. While Sherlock is in the bath warming up, John walks back downstairs to let Sherlock’s clothes get washed. He writes down his room number so a maid can bring it up once they are done. He gets back to Sherlock with two cups of tea. He sits down next to the bathtub as he and Sherlock drink their tea in silence.

At one side John is relieved Sherlock came back. He wouldn't know what he will do without him. His life would be so boring again. Coming home to an empty house instead of Sherlock laying upside down on the couch while holding his laptop in front of him. He would have to sleep alone again, and to be fair he doesn’t think he can do that. His apartment would be so silent. But on the other side. All of Sherlock’s family and friends are gone. John does not know if they had died or were just gone. But Sherlock seems really upset. It must be horrible to lose the people you care about. John himself lost his mother. He remembers how horrible it felt. However he had the chance to say goodbye to her. To tell her all the things he wanted to tell her. Sherlock did not have that chance.

Sherlock lets his hand fall down the side of the bath and John grabs it, holding on tightly. They sit like this for a long time. Someone knocks on the door but John ignores it. He has closed his eyes and all he wants to focus on right now was Sherlock’s hand in his. He is breathing slowly and as he did he can smell the sea. He opens his eyes when he hears someone gasp. A maid is standing in the doorway, looking at them while holding Sherlock’s clothes. She puts the clothes down next to the sink and quickly turns around.

“I’m sorry sirs.” She says softy and John can see her ears turn red. John smiles and gets up, grabbing his wallet. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” He says as he holds some money over the girl’s shoulder. The girl takes it, thanks him and walks out of the room quickly. John turns and walks back to the bathtub.

“How about we get you into bed hm?” He asks, holding out his hand. Sherlock grabs it and steps out of the bathtub, water dripping everywhere. John grabs a towel and starts drying Sherlock’s hair. Sherlock just bows his head down so John can reach it easier but he says nothing. When John is done he gives the towel to Sherlock so he can dry off his body while John grabs his shirt and pants. He hands them over to Sherlock and starts dressing himself. When they are both done John grabs Sherlock’s hand and pulls him into the bed. He lays down behind him, pulling Sherlock closer. John doesn’t let himself fall asleep before he can hear that Sherlock’s breathing becomes slower and steadier. When John is sure the younger one is asleep he closes his eyes as well.

#### ~~~

When they arrive at home Sherlock acts like nothing has happened. He uses John’s laptop without asking, keeps complaining that he is bored and takes a bath every day (sometimes even twice a day). John can not act like this. He keeps thinking about that day. When he thought Sherlock has left him forever but came back. The empty look in his eyes when he told John everyone was gone. He can't get the imagine out of his mind.

In the morning John gets out of bed to make himself ready for work. He takes a shower and when he walks too the kitchen, Sherlock is standing there.

“Morning.” John says as he puts up some water for tea. “You’re up early.” He makes two cups of tea and hands one to Sherlock.

Sherlock takes the cup but places it down on the table. “John, I want to come along.”

John, who just wants to take a sip from his tea, freezes. The cup hovering in front of his mouth. He slowly lowers it. “Excuse me?”

Sherlock leans against the table, his arms crossed over his chest. “I want to speak with the manager. Maybe he knows something about what happened.”

John also puts his cup down in the fear that he might drop it. “You want to go back to the man who held you locked up?!” John says, his voice louder then he intends. Sherlock simply nods and John pinches the bridge of his nose. “Sherlock, I don’t think this is a good idea. Not only could he fire me for stealing and lying about it, he could also take you back!”

“He wont.”

“How can you know for sure?!” John notices he is still talking rather loud and he takes a deep breath. “Look Sherlock, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

Sherlock grabs his cup and takes a sip of tea. “I know what I’m doing. I need to talk to him.” John stares at him for a while before he sighs. “Okay fine. But you stay with me!” Sherlock nods once again and walks over to the living room.


	7. Brothers

They arrive at the park and Sherlock seems to know where he has to go. He immediately walks over to the building with the manager’s office. John follows him. They walk into the building and even here Sherlock seems to know the way. When they arrive at the managers office Sherlock doesn’t even knock, he barges right in.

The manager looks up. He seems surprised for a second but then his expression goes back to stone cold like always.

“So you finally decided to come back?” He says as he eyes to John for a moment. Sherlock walks over to the desk and leans on it.

“What happened to them?”

The man leans back, crossing his arms. “Who are you talking about?” Sherlock slams his hands on the table and John holds his breath for a second. Sherlock looks really angry. John hasn’t seem him like this before. “You know damn well who i’m talking about Mycroft!”

Mycroft doesn’t seems bothered by Sherlock’s anger. He still has the same emotionless expression on his face. While Sherlock is calming down Mycroft sits upright. “I don’t know what happened to them. Maybe they went somewhere safe, maybe he got them as well. I don’t know and there is not much I can do about it brother dear.”

Sherlock groans softly and John looks up confused. “What?” He asks as he steps further into the room. “Brother…?” He looks from one man to the other and back. Sherlock sighs and turns back to John.

“Yes, he is my brother.” Sherlock clarifies. Mycroft pulls out a necklace from underneath his shirt. It is the same as Sherlock’s but this one is a bit more green. John stares at it as he tries to find something to say.

“But… If you’re his brother, why would you lock him up like that?!” John asks. This is all getting very confusing for him and he needs some answers.

“Sherlock already got caught once, I simply wanted to keep him save.” Mycroft says and Sherlock crosses his arms. “I’m perfectly capable of doing that myself.”

“Yes, just like you did last time I presume?”

“I was in a tight spot! There was nothing I could’ve done about that!”

“You could’ve not go to their ship.”

“I was just interested in their way of working!”

“Well you got a pretty good look at it. Did you not?”

Sherlock opens his mouth to talk back again but John steps in-between them. “Guy’s please! You two sound like a pair of kids. Can’t we just…” John sighs and turns to Mycroft. “Do you know where all the other… merfolk are?” Mycroft shakes his head.

“I was planning on meeting up with Moriarty.” Mycroft says and before John could ask who that was he continued. “He was the one who caught and sold Sherlock to me. I could ask him if he has more. However I won’t have the money to buy them all back.”

“So say that Moriarty guy has them,” John says. He is more thinking out loud then talking to the brothers. “We have to get them out of there somehow.”

Sherlock starts to tap a rhythm with his feet, obviously it was all going too slow for him. John looks at Mycroft. “Could you make an appointment with him? To see if they’re actually there?” Mycroft crosses his legs. “I will look into it so you can go home Watson.”

John blinks a couple of time. “Excuse me. I’m not going anywhere without Sherlock.”

Mycroft leans forward. “Sherlock would be safer here.”

“Well Sherlock has been rather save with me as well. So I guess it wouldn’t hurt if he stays with me.” John says in defense and Mycroft looks him over before he pulls up an eyebrow.

“Have you taken the like in my brother?” He asks and a blush starts to appear on John’s cheek.

“And what if he has?” Sherlock speaks for the first time since John has stepped in-between them. Mycroft holds up his hands in defense. “I’m not stopping you Sherlock. Just remember that he is not the same kind as you are. Not everyone will be pleased with that.” Sherlock shrugs and walks out of the room. John wants to follow him but got stopped by Mycroft calling his name. Mycroft hands him a piece of paper and a pen to write down his number.

“I’ll contact you if I have more information.” He says and John nods before walking out of the room to catch up with Sherlock.


	8. Waiting

“It’s been 2 weeks! How can he still not have any information!” Sherlock complains as he walks around the living room. John tries to read the morning paper but with Sherlock pacing around like a trapped animal he can’t even finish the first sentence. He puts away the paper with a sigh. “He said he would call Sherlock. Give it some time and for gods sake can you sit down please!”

Sherlock groans and lets himself fall in the chair he has claimed over these past few weeks. He now starts to tap on the armrest with his fingers and John gets up. “That’s it, we’re going outside. Put on your shoes.” John walks over to the hallway to grab their coats and Sherlock looks confused his way but he still does as John orders him.

Not much later they are walking through the streets of London. Winter has arrived and John has to buy Sherlock a scarf because he keeps complaining how cold it is. Not much later it starts to snow and John decides it is about time they have some dinner. He tries to make sure Sherlock eats properly. Usually he gets so sucked into John’s laptop that he forgets to do anything at all. Since John works all day he can’t keep an eye on Sherlock all the time, but he tries to make sure the man has dinner every day.

They walk into an Italian restaurant and take place by the window. John sits down and a cheery looking guy walks up to their table.

“Good evening chaps! Can I get you anything?” John picks up the menu. “We still have to take a look.” he gives the man a sweet smile and the man smiles back. “I’ll come back later then! Oh and I will get a candle for you and your date, much more romantic.” John looks at Sherlock and then back at the man. “That would be lovely yes, thank you!” The man practically skips away to get them a candle. Sherlock stares outside to the snow that’s slowly falling down on the pavement. John reads the menu in silence. The guy comes back and places a candle in the middle of their table. John orders for both of them since Sherlock is not a picky eater. Their food comes not long after and John starts eating but Sherlock just keeps starring out of the window.

“Is something the matter?” John asks and Sherlock looks at him and then surprised at the plate in front of him. Like he didn’t notice it was placed there. John looks at him while he waits for a response. “No.” Sherlock replies a couple seconds later. “I was just thinking.” He picks up his fork and starts pocking the spaghetti in front of him. John takes a few minutes to look how the man was pouring around in his dinner before he speaks again. “I know you’re worried. But it will be fine.” John gives him a gentle smile and Sherlock nods, taking the first bite of his dinner.

After dinner they walk around the city some more. Sherlock seems to enjoy getting to know the streets of London. John lets him lead the way and they walk past places even John has never seen before. Sherlock stops in front of a pet store and looks at the fish swimming around in circles in the aquariums. He mumbles something about people being stupid for keeping such creatures in captivity. John takes his hand to Sherlock surprise and smiles. Sherlock doesn’t pull away and they walk home like this. When they walk inside Sherlock strips himself off his coat and shoes and makes way to the bathroom to fill the bath with water. John places the groceries, he has picked up on the way home, away and also makes his way too the bathroom. Sherlock is in just his pants, testing the water temperature and adjusting it slightly.

“Mind if I join?” Johns asks and Sherlock shakes his head. John starts to strip as well and they both get into the bathtub. John decides that he’s going to sit behind Sherlock now. As much as he liked what happened last time they shared a bath he wants to enjoy this day a bit longer. Sherlock leans against John’s chest and closes his eyes while John plays with his hair.

“We should get you a haircut.” John whispers and Sherlock groans softly. “It’s getting rather long.” Sherlock lets himself sink down till he’s completely underwater. John looks down at him and when Sherlock opens his eyes John swears they’re more blue then before. Sherlock’s hair is moving slowly in the same rhythm as the water and John finds the sight breathtaking. After a while Sherlock comes back up and turns around to face John.

John just stares back into Sherlock’s eyes and there’s a long silence. They only thing you could hear is the water splashing and the calm breathing of them both. Sherlock then leans in and kisses John. Soft at first, just their lips touching, but more deeply after that. He pushes John till his back hits the wall and starts kissing his neck now. John hums in pleasure as Sherlock makes his way down. Sherlock gently strokes up and down John’s chest while sucking a hickey in his neck. John closes his eyes and let’s the men do to him whatever he wants. Sherlock slowly makes his way down but suddenly stops. John opens his eyes again and looks at Sherlock who has his gaze fixed on the door.

“What is i-“ Sherlock puts his hand on John’s mouth to shut him up. They sit there frozen like ice until Sherlock climbs out of the bathtub. He quickly walks out of the room and John follows him clumsily, trying not to slip over the wet floor. Sherlock grabs John’s phone, which was apparently ringing, and picks up. John sighs deeply. Did they just seriously stop for a bloody phone call… John walks back to the bathroom to get them both a bathrobe. When he comes back Sherlock is still talking with, what John presumed, is Mycroft. He forces Sherlock into the bathrobe and gets them both a cup of tea.

“What?” Sherlock says when John comes back inside with two cups in his hands. “But how could he possibly know?” John holds out Sherlock’s cup but the man just signs to put it on the table. John does and he sits down. Sherlock is pacing around while listening to Mycroft over the phone. “Okay, then I’ll wait for him to call.” And with that Sherlock hangs up.

“And?” John asks and Sherlock lets himself fall in the chair with a sigh. “He knows Mycroft and I are related.” Sherlock says and John almost spits out his tea. “What? How?”

Sherlock looks at the phone. “That’s what I like to know.”

“And what happens now?”

“He’ll contact me."

John looks confused. “Who? Moriarty?” Sherlock nods. “Mycroft gave him your number. So you mind if I hold this with me for a while?” He asks, holding up the phone.

“No go ahead.” John says.

Sherlock spends the rest of the evening staring at the phone. John managed to get him in bed but of course the phone had to come along. John falls asleep quickly but Sherlock refuses to.


	9. Red dots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have so struggles with the fic rn so i won't be updating often. I need to get my mind back to it.

When John wakes up the next morning and he sees Sherlock is still awake. John rolls over to him and puts his arm around Sherlock. “Couldn’t sleep?” he asks and Sherlock looks at him. “Don't want to miss the phone call.”

“So he hasn’t called yet?”

Sherlock shakes his head and yawns. John smiles and gets out of bed. “Come on, I’ll make you some coffee.” John makes his way to the kitchen and makes them both a cup coffee. When he brings them to the living room Sherlock is already sitting in his chair, phone on the armrest. John hands him his cup and sits down in his own chair.

“You can’t wait by that phone forever Sherlock.” John says and Sherlock sighs in response. “I know. I just don’t want to miss the call. We don’t know what he’s capable of.” On that moment the phone pings and Sherlock grabs it quickly. He reads the text on the screen and then runs over to the bedroom. Before John even can walk over there to check what is going on Sherlock walks back out fully dressed.

“Sherlock what’s going? Where are you going?” John asks confused. Sherlock simply hands him the phone so he can read the text before heading to the bathroom. The text on the screen is from an unknown number and it just shows a location nearby the thames. Sherlock comes out of the bathroom, grabs the phone and heads to the front door.

John walks after him and grabs his arm before Sherlock could leave the house. Sherlock turns around to complain but closes his mouth again when he sees how serious John looks. “You’re not going without me.” John says and he lets Sherlock go and gets dressed himself.

#### ~~~~~

They’re on their way to the address that Sherlock received. The cab ride was quiet. John has a bad feeling about all this. They’re going to a person who managed to capture and hold hostage god know how many mer-people (John still hasn’t decided how to call Sherlock’s kind.). And they’re going without in without anything to defend themselves or a plan. He looks over at Sherlock. The man is starring out of the window as if he’s daydreaming. But the couple weeks John had got to know the man he knows Sherlock’s not daydreaming. He’s thinking. Maybe even of a plan.

The cab stops and Sherlock almost jumps out of it. John pays the cabbie and follows him. Sherlock stops in front of a big, abandoned looking swimming pool. He looks down at the phone. “This is the place.”

John shivers. “I don’t like the sight of this…” he says as he follows Sherlock inside. The building was indeed abandoned. There was graffiti on the wall and here and there the walls have holes in them. They arrived at the pool area and it looks even worse then the rest of the building. The pool itself was still intact and filled with rain water that came from the giant hole in the roof. There was moss growing everywhere and it makes the floor a bit slippery. John looks around but theres no one to be seen.

“I’m here! So why don’t you show yourself?” Sherlock says loudly. It is quiet for a while and just when John wants to say something a door in the back opens. A man in a neat suit appears and walks up to them.

“Hello boys~” The man says with a grin on his face. John can see Sherlock tense up a bit. This must be the right guy.

“Moriarty.” Sherlock says as some sort of greeting. “Where are the others?”

“Oh you don’t really think I would have them here do you?” Moriarty puts his hands in his pockets.”No no, they’re safely tucked away."

“Then how do I know you let them go?”

“You don’t. Just surrender yourself to me and hope I will keep my word."

“That won’t do.” Sherlock says and he turns around to leave but he freezes when he looks at John. There are several red dots placed over his chest and one on his head.

“Well I didn’t say you had a choice.” The man says and Sherlock turns back.

“Why do you want me?"

The man’s grin becomes wider. “Because I find you interesting Sherlock. All the others are just dull and ordinary."

“And if I don’t come with you you’ll shoot John, won’t you?"

Moriarty just simply smiles and shrugs.

Sherlock sighs “Fine.” He says as he takes a step forward towards Moriarty.

“No wait!” John says as he walks after Sherlock before freezing, remembering the red dots that are shinning on his body. “A-are you seriously going with him?” John’s gaze goes from the dots to Sherlock who turns around. Sherlock's face is blanc. He is showing no emotions at all.

John wants to say something else but he got interrupted by the sound of the front doors slamming shut. Everyone stays quiet and a men’s voice suddenly ego’s through the building.

“Okay I know you kids are in here! You know you’re not allowed in here so show yourself and I won’t call your parents!” It sounds like the voice is coming closer so he’s making his way to the pool.

Moriarty sighs, causing both Sherlock and John to look at him. “As much as I hate to end our little chat here, I have other important things to attend.” He snaps his fingers and the red dots disappear. John sighs in relieve but Sherlock still seems tensed. Moriarty turns around and walks out of the room. Sherlock wants to walk after him but stops when a soft ‘click’ sound comes from their left side. Sherlock looks over at the changing stalls and sees a grey block with several blinking lights underneath the door.

He quickly grabs John by the arm and pulls him in the water. Just a second after they’ve hit the water a loud explosion is heard and stones and wood flies around everywhere. A white light appears and John closes his eyes. He can feel sharp nails growing out of the hands around his arms. When the light disappears again John opens his eyes and the first thing he sees is Sherlock. Sherlock is holding him close while he dodges the rocks that are falling. John does his best to hold in his breath but when he’s almost out of air he squeezes Sherlock’s arm. Sherlock gets the hint and blows some bubbles John’s way.

Just when Sherlock wants to bring them back to the surface a piece of stone breaks off the ceiling on Sherlock’s shoulder. Sherlock lets go of John, who quickly holds on to the side, and holds his shoulder. Sherlock comes up not much later and John looks at him worried.

“Are you okay?” He asks and Sherlock nods.

“I’m fine. Lets get out of here.”

John pulls himself on the side and gets up. Sherlock uses his tail to get on the side and transforms back. He’s wearing nothing at all and John takes off his jacket, putting it around Sherlock’s shoulders. He helps him up and they make their way to the exit. John keeps his eyes fixed on the ground, making sure Sherlock doesn’t step into any glass. They found some clothes laying around and Sherlock puts on a pair of trousers. They’re a bit too big for him but it will do till they’re home. They’re almost outside when John hears someone groaning.

“Wait here.” He says to Sherlock before he walks towards the sounds. He finds a police officer laying on the ground. John quickly makes his way over to him and kneels down. There's a small stream of blood on his head. Something must’ve fallen down on him. John helps him up and puts an arms around him for support. They stumble back to Sherlock and John gives him the man’s phone. “Get us a cab.” He says and Sherlock nods, putting his attention to the phone while managing to walk outside without tripping.


	10. Jim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit i updated.. that took forever. I'm in my exam year so it'll take me some time to get back to this sorry :,)

The cab arrives soon and John has never seen a cab driver look so confused. He carefully places the man in the car before getting in himself. He orders the cabbie to get them to the hospital, quickly.

John gets the man inside and makes up a story about an unstable building collapsing. Sherlock is still outside and John walks up to him. “We should get you checked as well.” He says. “I’m fine.” Sherlock replies while looking in the distance. John keeps looking at him till Sherlock finally looks his way. “Just a check up. Please.” He almost whispers and Sherlock sighs before walking inside the hospital. John smiles and follows him.

Sherlock’s shoulder isn't in a bad condition but he needs to take it easy. John feels relieved and they make their way back home. Sherlock still has the man's phone and starts calling his brother. John looks out of the window while the Sherlock speaks to his brother in a, surprisingly, calm voice. He doesn’t really pay attention.

When they finally arrive at home John walks over to the bedroom to get them both some dry clothes. When he walks back he heads for the bathroom because he knows Sherlock by now. And he is right. Sherlock’s leaning over the bath to fill it with water. John starts changing out of his wet clothes and into his dry and warm ones.

Sherlock takes off his own clothes and gets in the bath even before it’s full. He lets himself slide down so his head is underwater and his legs hang over the edge of the bathtub. John smiles and makes his way over to the kitchen. It is already late and his stomach is starting to rumble. He fixes himself something to eat and he lets himself fall on the couch. He thought about making something for Sherlock as well but the man would be to distracted to eat. He just leaves Sherlock to the thinking and quietly eats his dinner before making his way to bed. He takes a look in the bathroom and can see Sherlock is still sitting in the bath. He has transformed in his other form and his tail is hanging over the side while he’s laying with his eyes closed.

John looks at him for a while before heading to bed. He’s tired. His muscles are aching from the cold and his ears still hurt from the explosion. He takes some aspirins and lays down. His eyes feel heavy and he soon falls asleep.

~~~~~

“Jim where are you going?!” his mother’s voice sounds from the kitchen. “Outside.” Jim simply responds and he puts on his jacket. His mother walks into the hallway. “In this weather?” She asks. “There’s a storm coming.”

“I know. That's why Sebastian and I are going to the sea.”

His mother doesn’t seem so sure about it but Jim jumps up with a small smile. “Don’t worry, we won’t get to close to the water.” He says and his mother can’t help but smile back.

“Fine, just be careful okay?” She says and Jim nods while putting on his rain boots.

“See you later.” He says as he quickly walks out and starts running towards the beach. The rain falls hard on his face and sometimes there’s a strong wind, stopping him for a moment. But Jim keeps making his way to the beach where Sebastian is already waiting. Jim stops next to him and looks up at the other guy with a smile. Sebastian just looks down at him before looking back at the sea. The waves are getting really high. Jim has to takes some steps back so the water won’t fill his boots. Sebastian just keeps standing where he was. He was taller than Jim and so his boots are higher.

They spend a couple more minutes just looking at the waves before Jim grabs the other boy his hand. “Let's go to the rocks! The view is better there!” He wants to pull Sebastian along but the boy doesn’t move.

“It’s to dangerous.” He simply said and Jim shakes his head, putting on a smile. “Don’t worry about that. We’re together. Nothing will happen.” Sebastian gave in and walked along with Jim. They climbed on the rocks and carefully made their way towards the water. Jim kneels down and looks at the waves with a smile while Sebastian just keeps standing behind him, keeping an eye on the younger boy.

“So many people fear the sea.” Jim says. “And they should. It’s full of monsters.”

Sebastian looks at him with a frown. “What do you mean?”

Jim turns around with a dark smile. “There are creatures in the water, creatures that can swallow you whole. Or that will rip you apart. Some will drown you first and others will devour you alive.”

Sebastian looks at Jim for a while before giving him a small smile. He liked Jim like this. He was so fascinated by the sea and whenever he was talking about the creature that may or may not exist he looks so.. himself. That’s the best he can describe Jim. As himself.

Neither of the boys paid attention to the sea anymore. So they didn’t notice the big wave making his way over to them. It took them both by surprise and Jim, who was still kneeling down, grabbed the rocks and closed his eyes tight. It was only a matter of seconds before the water was gone again, leaving Jim wet, cold and all alone.

Alone...

He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Sebastian was not there. Jim quickly turned around and looked in the water. He could see the face of his friend. Looking scared. Screaming without a sound. Two arms wrapped around his chest, pulling him down till he vanished in the dark void underneath the surface.


End file.
